Updated November 2015
is food safety company that provides consumers with information about what is in their food. Our products and services provide instant access to nutritional and health data so you can track your progress, push your goals and take control of your diet and health. As we build these tools, we are committed to the principles of respecting your privacy, keeping your data safe, and letting you decide how your information is used and shared.
We will only collect data that is useful to improving Tellspec’s products and services, as well as you experience. This includes using a third party crash reporting service, to help us maintain the quality of our software.
We will be transparent about our data practices and will endeavor to explain them in clear language.
We will never sell your data, and will only share personally identifiable data when you direct us to.
We take, and always will take, the security of your data seriously.
Tellspec designs products and tools that track everyday diet and health to empower and inspire users to lead healthier lives. This privacy policy applies to all our mobile applications for iPhone OS and Android OS (each an “App” and together the “Apps”) and food sensor products (“Device” and together “Devices”), our websites located at www.tellspec.com and at www.tellspecopedia.com, (individually a “Site” and collectively “Sites”), and are collectively referred to in this privacy policy as the “Tellspec Service”.
Because we’re always looking for new and innovative ways to help you achieve your nutritional goals, this policy may change over time. If any modifications substantially change your rights under this policy we will send you an email where possible, and always provide notice on the Site.
And remember, we’re here to help. If something in this policy does not make sense or if you have any questions, please contact us at info@tellspec.com.
When activating a Tellspec Device, you will be asked to download the Tellspec App and you will either authorize Tellspec to read your HealthKit data or we will default to standard measurements for nutritional goals. We use this information to determine your personalized nutritional goals.
Tellspec does not collect your HealthKit data, store your HealthKit data, share your HealthKit data or write/alter your HealthKit data. Tellspec reads your HealthKit data to perform local calculations on your mobile device only.
HealthKit is a technology created by Apple. Tellspec’s app reads four items in your HealthKit data when you give our app the permission to do so, if that data actually exists in your HealthKit data store. These four items are: age, gender, height, weight.
The purpose of reading this data is to perform a number of calculations that personalize your home screen totals, including the Mifflin St-Jeor equation for resting metabolic rate and other calculations about your daily macronutrient intake goals. If you do not give us access to this data, it will not affect the app in a negative fashion – you will just see your totals are based on a standard 2000-Calorie diet.
Once your HealthKit data is read and the calculations are complete, we do not transmit, share, or store your data anywhere else on your device or externally.
If you wish to access data collected by your Device from the Tellspec App, you must first create a Tellspec account. When you create a Tellspec account, we ask for some personal information, including your email address and country of residence.
Location features such as mapping are only available if you activate them. When active, Tellspec may use the functionality provided by your mobile device to determine your specific location. We may store this information along with your other account information in order to provide you with location features. If you are using a mapping feature, we will send your location information to our mapping service provider so they can display your location on a map. They are contractually prevented from sharing or using this data for any other purpose. You can deactivate these features at any time and Tellspec will stop collecting this type of information.
When you scan food for the first time, we ask you for permission to use your location, and then we will tag that metadata onto your scan for the purpose of working out what foods are popular in which locations.
Tellspec collects some data from everyone who visits our website— even if you don’t have a Tellspec account.
Whenever you visit a Site, we collect industry standard log data that records information about your visit, such as your browser type, operating system, the URL of the page that referred you, the different actions you performed, the IP address of the device you used, and the URLs of the pages you visited. We use this type of information to provide you with information that’s relevant to your location and to make sure the Site is working properly. We also collect data from cookies. To see the full list cookies we use and how we use them, please read our Cookie Policy below.
When you start your device, data about your activity is transferred from your device to our servers. This data is stored and used to provide the Tellspec Service. Each time you start we log data about the transmission. Some examples of the log data may include time and date, location, the IP address, and the nature of food being scanned.
If you are logged into your Tellspec account when you purchase something on our site, we associate that order with your account. We also store your shipping address so we can process your order through our fulfillment partner. We do not, however, view or store your credit card information. This is handled by our third-party payment processor. If you are not logged into your account at the time of purchase, we do not associate that data with your Tellspec account, however we save the data so that we can provide customer service related to the purchase.
Whenever you contact Tellspec for help, we collect your name and email address along with any additional information you provide in your request and store it on our servers in order to provide you with customer service and to improve the Tellspec Service. If you contact us when you are already logged in to your account, the web form automatically pre-fills in certain information, so you don’t have to type it manually. You can also contact Tellspec through public forums such as Twitter or Facebook; however, we cannot maintain the privacy of your communication to us if you contact us through these channels.
Tellspec uses your data to provide you with the best experience possible, to help you make the most of your diet, and to improve and protect Tellspec. Here are some examples: Height, weight, gender, and age are used to estimate the number of Calories you need to consume.
Contact information is used to send you account notifications, allow other Tellspec users to add you as a friend, and may be used to inform you about new features or products we think you would be interested in and which you can opt-out of receiving.
Your data is used for research to understand and improve Tellspec products and services.
Logs and other data are used to troubleshoot the Tellspec Service; detect and protect against error, and fraud or other criminal activity; and enforce the Tellspec Terms of Use.
De-identified data that does not identify you may be used to inform the health community about trends; for marketing and promotional use; or for sale to interested audiences. See Sharing of De-identified Data That Does Not Identify You to learn more.
We don’t sell or share any data that could identify you. We only share data about you when it is necessary to provide our Service, when the data is de-identified and aggregated, or when you direct us to share it.
Personally Identifiable Information (PII) is data that includes a personal identifier like your name, email or address, or data that could reasonably be linked back to you. We will only share PII data under the following circumstances:
• With companies that are contractually engaged in providing us with services like order fulfillment, email management, and credit card processing. These companies are obligated by contract to safeguard any PII they receive from us.
• If we believe, after due consideration, that doing so is reasonably necessary to comply with a law, regulation, or valid legal process. If we are going to release your data, we will do our best to provide you with notice in advance by email, unless we are prohibited by a court order from doing so or where the request or legal process is directly related to a regulatory investigation. In the latter case, we will ensure user information we disclosed is treated as confidential.
• If it is necessary in connection with the sale, merger, bankruptcy, sale of assets, or reorganization of our company, your PII can be sold or transferred as part of that transaction as permitted by law. The promises in this Privacy Policy will apply to your data as transferred to the new entity.
Tellspec may share or sell aggregated, de-identified data that does not identify you with partners and the public in a variety of ways, such as by providing research or reports about health and diet or in services provided under any membership. When we provide this information, we take legal and technical measures to ensure that the data does not identify you and cannot be associated back to you.
You can direct us to share data with other parties. For example, you might authorize us to link your Tellspec account with a third-party app; send status updates to your Facebook or Twitter account; or direct us to share data with your employer as part of a health and wellness program. Once you direct us to share your data with a third party, that data is governed by the third-party’s privacy policy.
Tellspec may offer opportunities to participate in contests, giveaways, and other promotions. Any data you submit in connection with these activities will be treated in accordance with this Privacy Policy, unless the rules for those offers note otherwise.
Tellspec may also ask you to participate in surveys that help us understand your use of our products and services. Any PII you provide to Tellspec in these surveys will only be used in relation to that survey and as stated in this Policy.
We store your PII for as long as you remain a Tellspec customer or if there is a legal requirement about the retention of your data.
Any data that you provide to Tellspec through the App can be modified from your App settings or preferences. If you remove data from your User Account, it will no longer appear to you or others who use the Service. Backups of that data may remain in association with your User Account and in our archive servers.
You can deactivate your Tellspec account by contacting Customer Support at info@tellspec.com. When you do, data that can identify you will be removed from the Service, including but not limited to your email, name, photo(s), friends list, and links to sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Backup copies of this data will be removed from our server based upon an automated schedule, which means it may persist in our archive for a short period. Tellspec may continue to use your de-identified data.
Tellspec is not directed at persons under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect any PII from children under 13. If you are aware of a user under the age of 13 using Tellspec, please contact us at info@tellspec.com.
Tellspec uses a combination of technical and administrative security controls to maintain the security of your data. If you have a security-related concern, please contact Customer Support at info@tellspec.com.
Tellspec’s Services are hosted and operated entirely in the United States and are subject to United States law. Any personal information that you provide to Tellspec is being provided to Tellspec solely in the United States and will be hosted on United States servers. You consent to the transfer of your personal information to the United States. If you are accessing the Tellspec Services from outside the United States, please be advised that United States law may not offer the same privacy protections as the law of your jurisdiction.
Tellspec complies with the U.S. – EU Safe Harbor Framework, as set forth by the U.S. Department of Commerce regarding the collection, use, and retention of personal information from European Union member countries. Tellspec has certified that it adheres to the Safe Harbor Privacy Principles of notice, choice, onward transfer, security, data integrity, access, and enforcement. To learn more about the Safe Harbor program, and to view our certification page, please visit http://www.export.gov/safeharbor/.
In compliance with the Safe Harbor Principles, Tellspec commits to resolve complaints about your privacy and our collection or use of your personal information. European Union and Swiss citizens with inquiries or complaints regarding this privacy policy should first contact Tellspec support.
Tellspec has further committed to refer unresolved privacy complaints under the Safe Harbor Principles to an independent dispute resolution mechanism, the BBB EU SAFE HARBOR, operated by the Council of Better Business Bureaus. If you do not receive timely acknowledgment of your complaint, or if your complaint is not satisfactorily addressed, please visit the BBB EU SAFE HARBOR website at http://www.bbb.org/us/safe-harbor-complaints for more information and to file a complaint.
We use cookies and other technologies like pixel tags and web beacons to make our site better. Cookies are text files that are sent by servers to web browsers and stored on your computer. They tell us which parts of our Sites you’ve visited so we can figure out which promotions you may like to see or to alert you to software compatibility issues. If you delete cookies or block them from being stored, you may not get the full Tellspec experience.
Web beacons and pixel tags are images embedded in a webpage or email for the purpose of measuring and analyzing usage and activity. Tellspec, or third party service providers acting on our behalf, may use web beacons and pixel tags to help us analyze usage and improve our functionality.
This Site uses third party service providers, listed below, to help us analyze certain online activities and improve our services. For example, these providers help us measure the performance of our online campaigns or analyze visitor activity on the Site. We may also permit these providers to use cookies and other technologies to perform these services for us. We send data to third party analytics providers so we can use their tools to understand how you and other Tellspec users use our services.
We use advertising cookies to present you with opportunities to purchase Tellspec products on our website, and retargeting cookies to present you with Tellspec advertising on other websites based on your interaction on Tellspec’s Sites.
Social media tools, like widgets and plug-ins, are used so you can share information from Tellspec on other sites such Facebook and Twitter. These interactive mini-programs collect your IP address, record the pages you visit on Tellspec’s Sites, and set cookies that will enable the widget to function properly. Your interactions with these widgets are governed by the privacy policy of the company providing them, not by Tellspec’sPrivacy Policy. We also use Facebook and Twitter pixel tags to help us understand how effective our marketing is on those sites.
We may change this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will post any changes here, so be sure to check back periodically.
If you would like to make suggestions or find out more about our privacy practices, please call us at +44 07312396041 or email us at info@tellspec.com.
